‘Star Wars’ Characters Who Deserve a Spinoff Movie

The Star Wars universe is chock-full of interesting characters with lengthy backstories. Virtually anyone you see on-screen is likely to have their own 1,000-word entry on Wookieepedia, and that’s just the people you see in the background. Between the main and supporting characters, you have almost unlimited potential for prequels and spinoffs, something you can bet Disney will be taking full advantage of in the coming years. Already we’ve seen the Anthology series take off, starting with the story of the Rebels who stole the original Death Star plans, and soon, the origin of a young Han Solo.

Beyond this, we already know that Disney has designs for keeping the Star Wars saga alive indefinitely, and what better way to do that than by spinning off our favorite characters into their own standalone movies? There’s a whole 30 years of uncharted territory yet to explore between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and another few decades to fill in within both the prequels and original trilogy. Who should be the next to have their story told? Here are our thoughts on the matter.

1. Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi | Lucasfilm

There have been rumblings surrounding the possibility of an Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff, with Ewan McGregor even stating his own interest in reprising the role. There’s a huge gap in the years between Obi-Wan’s self-imposed exile to Tatooine and the beginning of his mentorship to a young Luke Skywalker. This gap leaves Lucasfilm with plenty of story to tell, and let’s face it: We’d all love to see what a world-class actor like McGregor could accomplish in Star Wars without George Lucas’ stilted dialogue and rampant green screen getting in the way.

2. Captain Phasma

Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma | Lucasfilm

Captain Phasma is one in a long line of characters in the Star Wars universe that fans got immediately attached to, only to see them unceremoniously dismissed or killed off. In the noble tradition of Darth Maul and Boba Fett, Phasma was sadly under-utilized, finding herself thrown down a trash chute before the destruction of Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens. The upside of this though is that it leaves audiences wanting more, and what better way to fulfill that demand than with an origin story for the chrome-armored First Order Stormtrooper?

3. Emperor Palpatine

Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine | Lucasfilm

Most of what we’ve seen of Palpatine has been the way he’s operated in the shadows, playing the world’s most patient long-game as part of his eventual takeover and formation of the Galactic Empire. Because of his role in the background though, there’s little in the way of canon concerning his origin. What we know is that Sheev Palpatine was an ambitious young politician from Naboo, who was trained in the ways of the Force by Darth Plagueis, one of the most powerful Sith Lords to ever live. A film that tracks his journey into evil while introducing Plagueis would carry tons of entertainment value, while giving some much-needed backstory to the Empire’s architect.

4. Mace Windu

Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu | Lucasfilm

It’s safe to say that Mace Windu was one of the best things the prequel trilogy gave us: A badass Jedi with a purple lightsaber who came within inches of killing Palpatine before he could ever take power as Emperor. Imagine a whole movie devoted to his early days as a Jedi Padawan, the creation of his unique lightsaber fighting form, and his own well-known treading of the line between the dark and light side of the Force. Now that’s a story worth telling.

5. IG-88 and Bossk

Bounty hunters in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back | Lucasfilm

IG-88 (second from the left after Vader above) and Bossk (fourth from the left) may be some of the most well-known Star Wars characters to never speak a single line of dialogue in the movies. The former is a decommissioned battle droid from the Clone Wars that turned to bounty hunting, while the latter operates in the same profession, known for his ability to track down Wookies. Together, they could form a team to give us an interesting look inside the world of bounty hunters. The potential Boba Fett movie certainly has the potential to do the same, but it’s certainly a diverse enough community to feature more than just the infamous Mandalorian.

6. Kylo Ren

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Lucasfilm

This one likely wouldn’t come until long after the new trilogy has wrapped up, by which time we’re likely to have way more information on Kylo Ren’s fall from grace. We know that as Han and Leia’s son, Ben Solo, he was one of Luke Skywalker’s first Jedi pupils, and that he eventually betrayed Luke, corrupted by the enigmatic Supreme Leader Snoke. A full-on Kylo Ren prequel (or prequel trilogy) would provide us with the “good guy turns evil” story we always wanted but never got in a solid form with the prequels, while lending some much-needed background to the 30-year gap leading into The Force Awakens.

7. Boba Fett

Boba Fett | Lucasfilm

We still don’t know what Lucasfilm is planning for their third Anthology movie, but if it’s not a Boba Fett story, you can bet fans are going to be disappointed. Interestingly enough, the studio was one teaser trailer away from green-lighting the entire project before Rogue One. Controversy surrounding their alleged director Josh Trank though led to them to scrap the project, leaving it in limbo ever since. That being so, it would make a whole lot of sense to bring it back with a new director in tow, officially giving one of the saga’s most popular characters the backstory he so rightfully deserves.

8. Jyn Erso

Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Lucasfilm

Spoilers ahead for Rogue One!

At the end of Rogue One, it’s made abundantly clear that Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and the rest of the Rebels who retrieved the Death Star plans from Scarif were dead. That made it all that more curious when news surfaced claiming that Felicity Jones’ contract has her signed on for at least one more Star Wars movie. With nowhere for her character to go past the events of Rogue One, the only logical choice would be a standalone origin film. Others have claimed she might show up in Han Solo in a brief cameo, but given her rich background of lawbreaking and criminal activity, there’s plenty of story left to tell for the young Rebel.

9. Darth Maul

Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels | Disney XD

Darth Maul may have first appeared in Episode I, but the character didn’t get to truly shine until he was fully fleshed out in the animated Clone Wars series. He’s since returned for Star Wars Rebels, and continues to be a consistently compelling villain every time he graces the screen. Factor in that Marvel Comics just recently green-lit a standalone comic series for Maul, and he seems primed for a deep dive in movie form.

10. Princess Leia

Princess Leia | Lucasfilm

We know plenty about the saga of Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy, and soon, we’re going to get the full story of Han Solo’s younger years before A New Hope. What we don’t have though is a film that dives into the tale of Princess Leia. The recently-released Star Wars: Bloodline novel demonstrated firsthand that Leia is one of the most complex, competent, and well-rounded characters in the Star Wars canon.